home *** CD-ROM | disk | FTP | other *** search
- Path: coke.engr.utk.edu!mbk
- From: mbk@I_should_put_my_domain_in_etc_NNTP_INEWS_DOMAIN (Matthew B. Kennel)
- Newsgroups: comp.object,comp.software-eng,comp.lang.c++
- Subject: Re: Moving from C to C++
- Followup-To: comp.object,comp.software-eng,comp.lang.c++
- Date: 23 Jan 1996 19:46:10 GMT
- Organization: University of Tennessee, Knoxville
- Message-ID: <4e3du2$ian@gaia.ns.utk.edu>
- References: <4cs44p$3pk@ixnews8.ix.netcom.com> <4dk8ts$fpc@antares.en.com> <4dmste$ba6@ixnews4.ix.netcom.com>
- Reply-To: kennel@msr.epm.ornl.gov
- NNTP-Posting-Host: 128.169.100.253
- X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.2 PL2]
-
- Jerry Fitzpatrick (redmtn@ix.netcom.com) wrote:
- : >Does anybody have any experiences in moving from a structure C
- : >environment to that of an object-oriented C++ environment?
-
- : I've worked with several different engineering groups who were trying
- : to make this transition, although not as a manager. Although some
- : programmers can make this transition by self-study, I think they're the
- : exception rather than the rule.
-
- : Unfortunately, I have seen too many C++ projects botched as a result of
- : inexperience. The transition from C to C++ usually takes serious
- : management commitment and in-depth, ongoing training for the
- : programmers.
-
- I have no experience to report but my own. It's heresy but it's
- what happened to me.
-
- A friend who was a crack programmer introduced me to the notion of 'object
- orientation'. It was immediately impressive and was a clear step above
- 'subroutines' and things essentially isomorphic to them.
-
- However, I had unusual difficulty getting real programs to work
- reliably with C++. Stupid bugs happened less often, but there were
- occasional really irritating "deep voodoo" bugs.
-
- Did I need "more commitment or in-depth ongoing training?" I don't know,
- I didn't have the option. I had a total of $0 to spend on compilers or
- classes.
-
- I'm a physicist: producing research results---not software---is my main job.
-
- Surprisingly, the solution was to junk C++ in favor of a different language.
-
- It turned out that it was peculiar design 'decisions' of C++ and compiler
- bugs which accumulated to stymie me.
-
- After that switch, object orientation flowed like my keyboard was doused with
- WD-40. :-)
-
- Now, I would find C++ much easier I'm sure as I'm looking 'from above'
- rather than 'from below'.
-
- : >Is it better to ease everyone into using C++ as a better C and take
- : >advantage of the encapsulation, getting people familar on the tools
- : >before jumping into a full object-oriented development?
-
- There is an assumption here that the stumbling block is "real object
- orientation." My experience is not so. It was C++ sans object orientation.
-
- : Jerry Fitzpatrick Assessment, Training & Mentoring
- : Red Mountain Corporation for Software Architecture and
- : 1795 N. Fry Rd, Suite 329 Development Processes (inc. OOA/OOD)
- : Katy Texas USA 77449 Phone/Fax: 713-578-8174
-
- cheers
- Matt
-
- (by the way, the new language was Sather, which you should hear as 'Eiffel':
- http://www.icsi.berkeley.edu/~sather/)
-